The CER
Claim: In my opinion, the first computer is the machine that can operate the formulas automatically to calculate the numbers with high accuracy, and have the ability of data storage. Evidence: * The abacus is designed as a mathematical instrument used to calculate. But the person operating the abacus performs calculations in their head and uses the abacus as a physical aid to keep track of the sums, the differences, etc. * In 1801 Joseph Marie Jacquard invented a power loom that could base its weave upon a pattern automatically read from punched wooden cards, held together in a long row by rope. * In 1822, Charles Babbage begins developing the Difference Engine. * In 1837, Charles Babbage proposed the first general mechanical computer, the Analytical Engine. * The Z1 was a mechanical computer designed by Konrad Zuse from 1935 to 1936 and built by him from 1936 to 1938. It was a binary electrically driven mechanical calculator with limited programmability, reading instructions from punched celluloid film. * The Turing machine was first proposed by Alan Turing in 1936. * Short for Atanasoff-Berry Computer, the ABC was designed by Professor John Vincent Atanasoff and graduate student Cliff Berry in 1937. Its was actually the first electrical digital computer. Reasoning: The history about the computer actually is very abundant. According to the research, there’s some one believe that the abacus was the first computer since its invention helped people improved their counting a lot. But I would say that the abacus had limits because the one who used it actually need to manipulate the abacus and memorize each time. So the abacus may at most be a tool on calculating but cannot be considered as the computer. After thousands years, the science had then progressed. Influenced by Joseph Marie Jacquard’s loom, In 1837, Charles Babbage proposed the idea of a model computer called the Difference Engine. The theory of that actually reached the point that calculating automatically, but due to the limitation of that time’s technology, the machine would make mistakes frequently. Although later Babbage proposed another one called Analytical Engine, he lacked of money to actually build it. Then the evolution of computers actually reached a booming time during 20 century. About 1936, the mechanical computer Z1 was designed, but actually built in 1938. Then Alan Turing also built his Turing Machine at the year of 1936. One year after Turing machine, the machine called ABC also came out. The intensive inventions of computers happen after those years. But actually they all were advanced compared with Babbage’s work. The Z1 contained almost all the parts of a modern computer, i.e. control unit, memory, micro sequences, floating-point logic and input–output devices. However,the formulas were unreliable in operation. Despite its simplicity, the Turing machine formed by Alan machine can simulate ANY computer algorithm, no matter how complicated it is. It consists of an infinitely-long tape which acts like the memory in a typical computer, or any other form of data storage. after that, the following inventions developed towards more functional. For example, the ABC machine actually was the first digital computer. Rebuttal: Based on the information that I’ve got, there are lots of different computers with progressing functions or advantages. However, since people have various ideas about what is defined as the actual first computer, the questions remain debated all the time. However, from my perspective, the definition of the first should distinguish the calculating tools and programming machines. Depending on the ability of each computer, I prefer to choose the Alan’s Turing machine as the actual first computer. Because the Turing machine can operate the mathematical systems automatically and store the data as a processor.